Method of forming pleated fabric

ABSTRACT

A method of making a pleated decorative fabric in which a length of light and relatively sheer fabric woven from natural fiber yarns first is shirred adjacent to one end thereof in the direction of the fabric weft to reduce the fabric width by a factor of about one third, then is treated to remove the yarn size as by washing in a detergent and rinsing, then is wrung around an axis extending in the direction of the fabric warp and finally is dried to produce the desired pleated fabric.

United States Patent [19 1 Harrow [11] 3,823,452 451 July 16,1974

[ METHOD OF FORMING PLEATED FABRIC [76] Inventor: Layton Bruce Harrow,306 W.

100th St., New York, NY. 10025 22 Filed: Dec. 13, 1972 21 Appl. No.:314,780

52 US. Cl. 28/72 FT, 28/77 51 Int. Cl. D06c 23/04 [58] Field of Search28/72 FT, 77, 76 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1918Stansfield et a1 28/72 FT 5/1937 Secrist 28/72 FT 3/1944 Harpham 28/77 XPrimary Examiner-Louis K. Rimrodt Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Shenier &OConnor 57 1 ABSTRACT A method of making a pleated decorative fabric inwhich a length of light and relatively sheer fabric woven from naturalfiber yarns first is shirred adjacent to one end thereof in thedirection of the fabric weft to' reduce the fabric width by a factor ofabout one third, then is treated to remove the yarn size as by washingin a detergent and rinsing, then is wrung around an axis extending inthe direction of the fabric warp and finally is dried to produce thedesired pleated fabric. I

11 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PAIENTEU JUL 1:61am

miaur'z 1 METHOD OF FORMING PLEATED FABRIC BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThere are known in the prior art various forms of novelty fabrics mostof which have a distinctive appearance which is the result of surfaceornamentation or dye applied to the fabric. There are further known inthe prior art various pleated fabrics in which pleats are formed in thefabric by stitching or by pressing pleats into the fabric or by acombination of these two operations. Pleats formed in the natural fiberfabrics by operations such as pressing are relatively impermanent.

There are also known in the prior art relatively rough or inner fabricswhich are incorporated in garments, for example, as liners, but whichare not intended for externaluse. One of the most widely used of suchinner fabrics is common cotton muslin. Another fabric hitherto notconsidered suitable for decorative uses is tobacco shade-cloth;

With today's revolution in clothing, particularly among the young, therehas arisen a demand for fabrics, as well as garments, which are ofrelatively unconventional though attractive appearance. I have inventeda methodof making a pleated decorative fabric having a distinctlydifferent appearance from fabrics of the prior art. My method enables meto make a decorative fabric fromwhat heretofore was considered only aninner fabric. My method enables me to form irregular pleats of arelatively permanent nature in a natural fiber fabric. My method resultsin a fabric having particular appeal to the young for use in garments.The fabric resulting from my method is adapted to other decorativeuses-such, for example, as for drapes and the like. i

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One object of my invention is to provide amethod of making a pleated decorativefabric having an appeartime whichis distinctly different from the appearance of fabrics of the prior art.

A further object of my invention is to provide. a method of making apleated decorative fabric in which I form relatively permanent pleats ina natural fiber fabric..

A still further object of my invention is to provide a method of makinga pleated decorative fabric from what has heretofore been consideredonly an inner fab- I'IC.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a method of makingapleated decorative fabric which is particularly appealing to the young.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a method of making apleated decorative fabric having a relatively wide range of decorativeuses.

Other and further objects of my invention will appear from the followingdescription.

In general my invention contemplates the provision of a method of makinga pleated decorative fabric in which[ first shirr a length of light andrelatively sheer natural fiber fabric such as common muslin or tobaccoshade cloth adjacent to one end thereof in the direction of the fabricweft to reduce the width of the fabric by about one third and thenremove the size from the yarn by washing and rinsing, then wring thefabric around an axis extending in the direction of the fabric warp andfinally dry the fabric to produce my pleated fabric having a distinctlydifferent appearance than do decorative fabrics 'ofthe prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings whichform part of the instant specification and which are to be read inconjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used toindicate like parts in the various views:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the sequence of steps carried outin the practice of my method of making a pleated decorative fabric.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a length of fabric from which Imake my pleated decorative fabric.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the fabric shown in FIG. 2taken along the line 3-3 thereof.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the fabric shown in FIG. 2taken along the line 4-4 thereof. FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan viewillustrating the first step in thepractice of my method of making apleated decorative fabric. l 2

FIG. 6 is an elevation illustrating the intermediate step in thepractice of my method of making a pleated decorative fabric.

FIG. 7 is an elevation illustrating a further intermediate step in thepractice of my method of making a pleated decorative fabric.

FIG. 8 is an elevation illustrating the final step in the practice of mymethod of making a pleated decorative fabric.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of a pleateddecorativefabric produced by my method.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the piece of fabric illus-. trated inFIG. 9 and taken along the line 10l0 thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,in practice of my method I use a length of woven fabric, indicatedgenerally by the reference character 10. The fabric 10 is a light andrelatively-sheer fabric which is woven from yarns of natural fiberssuch, for example, as cotton or silk. More specifically,'l have made mydecorative fabric from material known in the art as tobacco shadecloth'which is a light and relatively sheercotton fabric. Common cottonmuslin also is suitable for use in my process.

The fabric 10 is made up of weft yarns l2 and warp yarns 14. A length offabric 10 may be provided with selvages 16 and 18 running in thedirection of the warps 14 as indicated in FIG. 2. Fabric for use in thepractice of my method to form useful and decorative pleated fabric fallwithin fabrics having warp by weft counts of from about 44 X 40 countsto the inch to about 32 X 28 counts to the inch. In cases in whichgarments are to be made from the finished fabric, I select a relativelydenser fabric such, for example, as a 44 X 36 count fabric. Lighter orless dense fabrics having lower counts are not generally suitable forclothing but may be employed for drapes and the like. In one instance,for example, I used a muslin fabric having a 44 X 36 count,

such fabric normally being employed as an interlining threads by a lineof stitching 20 which forms relatively tight gathers 22 adjacent to theupper end of the fabric as viewed in FIG. 5. This operation, which isrepresented by the box 24 in FIG. 1 can be carried out on anyconventional sewing machine. It is to be noted that owing to the desiredrelatively random nature of the pleats to be described hereinbelow in myfinished fabric, the shirring operation need not be carried out with anyhigh degree of care.

Having shirred the fabric 10, I next remove the yarn size as indicatedby the block 26 in FIG. 1. This operation is achieved by washing theshirred fabric in any solution which will dissolve the size. I thenrinse the fabric in clean water. One of the most commonly used sizes inthe manufacture of cotton goods is starch. To remove the starch size, Iwash the shirred fabric in a bath of water containing any suitablecommercial detergent. In the course of the washing operation, I usewater at a temperature of about I50F and I carry out the operation for aperiod of about 10 to minutes either by hand or by use of anyconventional washing machine. The action of the hot water and detergentsolution dissolves the sizing and removes it from the yarn.

After the washing operation, it may be desirable to rinse the fabric incold water to ensure that all the sizing comes out of the yarn. Afterrinsing, the fabric is lifted out of the bath by grasping the end abovethe shirring as indicated in FIG. 6. In the course of this operationwater runs down the length of the fabric and tends to form it into folds28.

When the fabric 10 has been removed from the bath, it is wrung asindicated in FIG. 7 about an axis running generally in the direction ofthe warp of the fabric.

After the fabric has been wrung as indicated by the block 30 in FIG. 1to form the wrung length indicated generally by the reference character32 in FIG. 7, the fabric is dried. This operation may be facilitated byholding it twisted at the ends as by rubber bands or the like andplacing the length 32 in an extractor. This operation does not changethe end product. It merely facilitates the drying operation.

In order to accomplish the drying operation, the fabric is untwisted andpreferably subjected to heat. For example, the material was placed in anoven at a temperature of approximately 380F for one hour. Before beingplaced in the drying oven, the fabric is covered with some protectivematerial, which might be paper or fabric, to prevent the fibers frombeing scorched. While it is possible to dry the fabric at atmospherictemperature, l have discovered that the steam created by the heat of theoven, together with the pressure of the twist. results in a morepermanent pleat.

If it is desired to produce a wavy look in the resultant fabric, thematerial can be dried in a twisted state. It will be appreciated,however, that the drying operation will then take a relatively longertime. Alternatively, the fabric can be hung in the drying oven to allowthe fibers to dry in relatively straight lines.

The final fabric indicated generally by the reference character 36includes pleats 38 which are relatively irregular in nature. That is tosay. the depth of the various pleats in the direction of the weft isirregular and the pleats themselves are more or less sharply defined. Inaddition, in the warp direction the pleats are somewhat wavy. All ofthese characteristics contribute to the novel and attractive appearanceof the finished product.

As has been pointed out hereinabove, I may use any relatively light andrelatively sheer natural fiber fabric in practicing my method of makinga decorative fabric. For example, I have made my fabric from 58" 40 X 36cotton fabric, 46" 32 X 28 cotton fabric having a weight of about 0.1 13lb/yd., 58" 40 X 38 cotton fabric number WO32069, 36" 36 X 32 cottonfabric all obtained from Chicopee Mills Inc. of 1450 Broadway, New York,NY. 10018. Other fabrics which have been used successfully in making myfabric are 36 40 X 40 cotton fabric having a weight of about 0.15ounces/yd. obtained from Washington Mills Co. of Fries, Va., 38 A" 44 X36 cotton fabric having a weight of about 8.60 ounces/yd. obtained fromLeslie, Catlin & Co. of 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY.10019; and 50" 44 X 40 cotton fabric having a weight of about 4.40ounces/yd. obtained from Joshua L. Baily & Co. Inc. of 104 West 40thStreet, New York, NY. 10018.

It will be seen that I have accomplished the objects of my invention. Ihave provided a method of making a pleated decorative fabric having adistinctly different appearance than do fabrics of the prior art. I haveprovided a method for forming relatively permanent pleats in naturalfiber fabric. My method produces a pleated fabric which is especiallyattractive to the young. It enables me to make a decorative fabric fromfabric which has heretofore been considered to be only aninner fabl'lC.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of myclaims. It is further obvious that various changes may be made indetails within the scope of my claims without departing from the spiritof my invention. It is, therefore, to beunderstood that my invention isnot to be limited to the specific details shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A method of making a pleated fabric including the steps of shirring alength of light and relatively sheer fabric woven of sized natural fiberyarns along a line adjacent to one end thereof, washing said fabric inthe shirred condition in a solution adapted to remove the size from saidyarns, wringing said washed fabric by twisting around an axis generallyat right angles to said line of shirring, and drying said wrung fabricto form pleats therein.

2. A method as in claim I in which said drying step is performed whilesaid fabric is twisted.

3. A method as in claim 1 including the step of untwisting said fabricbefore said drying operation.

4. A method as in claim 1 in which said washing operation is washingsaid fabric in a solution of water and a detergent.

5. A method as in claim 4 including the step of rinsing said fabricfollowing said washing operation.

6. A method as in claim I in which said line of shirring runs generallyperpendicularly to the warp yarns of said fabric.

7. A method as in claim 1 in which said fabric yarns are cotton.

.8. A method as in claim 1 in which said fabric has a count in the rangeof between about 44 X 40 and 32 X 28.

9. A method as in claim 1 in which said drying step is carried out at atemperature above the boiling point of water.

10. A method as in claim 1 in which said shirring reduces the width ofsaid fabric by a factor of between about 2 and about 4.

and retwisting the rinsed fabric.

1. A method of making a pleated fabric including the steps of shirring alength of light and relatively sheer fabric woven of sized natural fiberyarns along a line adjacent to one end thereof, washing said fabric inthe shirred condition in a solution adapted to remove the size from saidyarns, wringing said washed fabric by twisting around an axis generallyat right angles to said line of shirring, and drying said wrung fabricto form pleats therein.
 2. A method as in claim 1 in which said dryingstep is performed while said fabric is twisted.
 3. A method as in claim1 including the step of untwisting said fabric before said dryingoperation.
 4. A method as in claim 1 in which said washing operation iswashing said fabric in a solution of water and a detergent.
 5. A methodas in claim 4 including the step of rinsing said fabric following saidwashing operation.
 6. A method as in claim 1 in which said line ofshirring runs generally perpendicularly to the warp yarns of saidfabric.
 7. A method as in claim 1 in which said fabric yarns are cotton.8. A method as in claim 1 in which said fabric has a count in the rangeof between about 44 X 40 and 32 X
 28. 9. A method as in claim 1 in whichsaid drying step is carried out at a temperature above the boiling pointof water.
 10. A method as in claim 1 in which said shirring reduces thewidth of said fabric by a factor of between about 2 and about
 4. 11. Amethod as in claim 1 in which said washing step is performed in asolution of a detergent in hot water, said method including the steps ofuntwisting the twisted fabric, rinsing the untwisted fabric in coldwater and retwisting the rinsed fabric.